What ARE These Guys Doing?

I got these salt and pepper shakers awhile ago -- maybe at Sparks last spring.

Not sure what they are doing. Playing a horn? Smoking a very large pipe? Whatever it is, they look kind of strage and that's why I liked them. Now they look right at home on this chalkboard.

The black pear bead above the shaker came from the stash Jas bought me for my birthday. More quirky things I really like.

I've had this beat up red and black tin for awhile, too, and it looks pretty good perched on the corner of the chalkboard.

This great cup with the Dutch-looking girl came from a friend of my mother-in-law's named Brenda. She goes thrift store shopping every day, something I would love to do.

The cup is a rusty tin and says Germany on the bottom. Brenda actually asked my mother-in-law if she should paint the rust inside before giving it to me and Betty told her no way. She knows the rustier, the better.

An old shoe polish bottle at the top.

This chalkboard is made with some plastic ballerinas I got off of Etsy recently. Same thing as the babies on the previous post; I could hardly wait to use them.

Tiny cup from Betty.

And a chalkboard in all greens.

Another cool little tin. These are going to Stuff today, the first of probably several drop offs between now and my promotional event on the 31st.

Whaaaaa!

Sometimes when I buy something, it sits around for a long time before I find just the right place for it. Some things get used up right away.

I got these plastic baby dolls on Etsy and could hardly wait to use them in some switch plates. I'm not sure these are right for a child's room considering they say "whaa" and "cry baby", but someone with an odd sense of humor might find that appropriate (like me).

More babies with lots of plastic crystals on this one for some zing.

The dinosaurs and dominos came from Becky in Wisconsin and they might be fun in a little boy's room. I'm working on more today with some great stuff I found at an antique show I went to over the weekend. Love to make switch plates!!!

Trail of Broken Hearts

Well, I delivered this batch of mosaics to Stuff recently in anticipation of Valentine's Day and the promotional event I wrote about on the last post.

Sure, most of these might not be fit for your grandma, but I can make one that is!

The "kiss the cook" heart features some of those great little chef beads I love from Smudgie Bear on Etsy. Just a touch of red glitter gives that heart some zing. And the big flower in the "you are my sunshine" heart is from a great stash of junk my Etsy friend, Becky, brought down from Wisconsin a few months ago.

The "sexy" heart is packed full of those great plastic beads Jason got me for my birthday. I just ordered another round off of Etsy. I am really enjoying the plastic fan and feathers. I don't sew, but I love wooden spools and the color blue.

Just a little pink glitter was added to the "princess" heart. In the yellow heart, I finally found a good place to use the asprin tin. If you shake it, it's still full of asprin.

Another shot of "sexy".

I'll have to find more ways to use the chef beads I love so much.

Porcelain flowers broken off of something from the Becky stash.

And another set of magnets. I glued a lamp tonight in all whites, silver, and gold. I'll grout and post that one soon. I'm also working on lots of new single switch plates, chalk boards, and frames. I want to build that inventory up before the 31st so I can have lots to show Stuff patrons when I'm there all day from 10 - 6. I'm going to an antique show with mom Saturday and am planning on stocking up on some mosaic-worthy stuff!!!

Broken Hearts Club

Very soon, the owners of Stuff in Brookside will annunce a special Valentine's Day promotion!


I'll be in the store from 10 - 6 on Saturday, January 31st taking orders for custom mosaic Valentine's hearts.

Bring in that dish of your grandmother's you broke but won't throw away, a keepsake that only you and your best friend understand, the pocket watch you love but that no longer keeps time, and I will repurpose your pieces into a custom made, one-of-a-kind mosaic Valentine for that special someone (or yourself!!)!

Maybe you're not the standard red or pink heart-type. Maybe you want a black, orange, or turquoise heart. Maybe you want a message that's sweet, provacative, racy or raunchy. As the wife of comic book writer Jason Aaron, rest assured I am NOT easily offended!!

Two sizes will be available. The ones pictured above are about 6.5" tall. The larger size, not pictured, is 12" tall and will be available in a standard heart or folk art (skinny) shape without the beveled edge.

I am really looking forward to talking with customers face-to-face about what they want. When I get a call about a custom order from Stuff, I always have about ten more questions I'd like to ask the customer so I can get the order just right. Do you like buttons? Vintage jewelry? The color orange? Dinosaurs? Headless baby dolls? You get the idea.

Maybe someone has the key to your heart . . .

or you want someone to know you'll love 'em forever . . .

you can say it with a custom made mosaic heart designed especially for the one you love (or hate, remember, I can include any message!) . . .

If you live outside of the Kansas City area, the staff at Stuff will gladly take phone orders, so give them a call at 816-361-8222!

Sex Pot

Well, I've finally finished the first mosaics of 2009. This pale pink box is going to Stuff tomorrow along with some magnets and another trinket box.

I love old tintypes and mixing this stoic woman with the "Sex Pot" caption seems funny to me.

I could see someone like me buying this for a good friend. You can't buy a box that says "Sex Pot" for yourself; it has to be a gift for someone else.

The horse on the left was actually a cuff link. My Etsy friend, Becky, sent down a big stash of junk from Wisconsin with her brother who lives in the KC area and the cuff link was included. Becky really knows her junk!!

Here's the bottom of the box covered with decorative pink and gray paper.

I whipped up this magnet as a surprise for a woman at work. I'm excited about giving it to her! I have a mosaic lamp I need to work on along with a couple birdhouses. Lots to do in 2009. I'm also having my first mosaic party with several friends later this month. I'm not sure how sangria is going to mix with glass and broken dishes, but I'm willing to take a chance!

A Little of This and a Little of That

I'm trying to get back into the mosaics swing of things. Here's a frame I finished up this weekend.

I used some of the new great plastic beads that Jason got me for my birthday. The white flower on the bottom right was part of that stash.

The frame says "HOTTIE".

I got the ruby prisms at the Mission Road Antique Mall this week. I see lots of clear, but never red, so I was really excited about using them.

The tiny bottle came from a friends yard sale awhile back.

And here's the back finished in red and black paper. This one is going to Stuff this week.

A woman at work is expecting a baby in February she is naming Isabella. I made this "I" for her in pink and lavender. The flowers on the top left are made of polymer clay.

I named this post adequately; I wanted to share some more pics of our Alabama trip. Jason's father's family owns some land and we visited the creek over the holidays. What a wonderful, peaceful setting. Here are the boys: Jason, Dash, Lee, and Brendan.

Believe it or not, this is an unaltered photo of an icicle that looked just like a bird. This was perfect timing because most of the time we were in Alabama, it was up over 70 degrees.

And another angle.

Not exactly a tiny little creek; the water was really rushing.

We were there for an entire week which gave us plenty of time to just hang out and relax. Here are Maw Maw and Dash making candy.

Look closely at the singing elf in the back. This was on the porch at Will and Pyllis' house (Jason's brother and sister-in-law) on Christmas day.

Dash acting goofy.

Will dressed up as Santa and Dash immediately confessed, "Santa, I'm sorry I've been soooo naughty!" No kidding -- that was without prompting!